


The Robin Paradox

by inheritanceofgeek



Series: Reconciliation [3]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Female Friendship, Gen, She contains multitudes!, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, Stephanie Brown is Robin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 06:50:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inheritanceofgeek/pseuds/inheritanceofgeek
Summary: In which Barbara and Stephanie discuss the problems with falling in love with the Boy Wonder, or should that be Boy Blunder?Follows on from the events of "Cold Case" but should make sense on its own.





	The Robin Paradox

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeated so please forgive me. 
> 
> I've sort of assumed that everyone else in the world eats take out the same way we do, getting a shit ton of everything and sharing it out between you.

Weekends for Team Batgirl were usually spent catching up on sleep and work, but sometimes they got to have fun as well. There was a pretty decent Chinese near Firewall, and they usually ended up eating together before that evening's patrol.

“Hey, thanks for the heads up on the pop quiz on Monday, really needed that extra revision time.” said Steph, slurping her chow mein.

“Actually you didn't originally have one, but I needed emotional blackmail to get Jason to pick you up.” She was grading the same quizzes right now, having shot herself in the foot at the same time.

“So you tortured me, my entire class, _and_ yourself all for the sake of Jason picking us up? Was no one else available?”

“Nope.” She said, scratching yet another D onto a page. Damn, did none of these kids actually pay attention in her class? “I got the video of your epic escape uploaded by the way, if you wanna watch it later.”

“Oh hell yeah!” grinned Steph, “That's movie night with Kara sorted. She's always showing off about her space adventures, I can finally show her the cool shit you can do on earth, without being a super-powered Alien Prom Queen.”

“Was Kara Prom Queen?” asked Babs, looking over there shoulder curiously, she didn't actually know her that well. She didn't really travel in the same circles as the supers.

“Well, no, she actually accidently stepped on her date's toe and completely broke it. But she has Prom Queen Energy, you know?”

“Strangely enough, I do?” nodded Babs carefully, thinking about Dick Grayson. Definitely Prom Queen Energy. Not that either of them had been to prom. Hers had resulted in having to defrost herself free after a Mr Freeze attack, and Dick ended up sleeping off a blast from Poison Ivy. They'd actually both been pretty good nights, all considered…

“Wish I'd have gotten to break a guys toe.” mumbled Steph, stabbing at a pork ball.

“I seem to remember you broke a guys nose.” she flipped over another sheet, okay so this one was at least more competent but they really needed to work on their handwriting.

“No! I don't, I don't mean I wanted to injure a guy! I mean, you know, it would have been nice to go to Prom.”

“Why didn't you? I mean, that was during your off-period, right?”

“If by 'off-period’ you mean, when I got legally resurrected from the dead, only to have Batman disappear on us and have everyone tell me I should give up the cape because I was only going to get people killed. Then, yeah. It was in my 'off-period’.” She shovelled more food into her mouth, so Barbara could tell that she wasn't too cut up about it. “But, I don't know. I didn't exactly have that many friends left by that point, and the ones that I did all had dates. So it would have just been me going alone, and that's just tragic.”   

“Well,” said Babs, spinning around to face her “from the sound of it, you didn't exactly miss that much. I think most Gotham Proms end up involving some sort of criminal activity.”

“Most of Gotham involves some sort of criminal activity. That's sort of why we're all here.” She pointed her chopstick at her. She was smiling, but there was still clearly something that was bothering her. She'd not been quite right ever since Austria, she suspected what it was, but Barbara had thought it best for Steph to tell her on her own. She shouldn't have been listening in to begin with… but sometimes information gathering and gossip had a bit too much in common. So instead she stole a prawn cracker, and waited for Steph to continue talking, which didn't usually take very long.

“It's not that I particularly regret not going to prom to be specific. I just wonder what it would have been like to have a normal teen experience. You know? Like, what did I miss out on by putting on the mask, you know? Do you ever wonder that?”

Barbara hesitated, thinking carefully on it. “I don't, especially. Maybe sometimes, when colleagues talk about their own experiences, but then again, they don't know what it's like to be responsible for saving the world. They don't get to experience any of _this_ .” she gestured around at the whole cave, the practice robots, the massive wall sized computer, the photos of all their extended family, her Nightwing doll with the needles stuck in it. “And maybe I was young, and maybe I made mistakes, but I don't have any regrets in my life. None.” She said, leaning forward at Steph's questionable look “Every decision I ever made led me to where I am. The Birds of Prey? Getting to help train you? Being the Go-To for the _entire_ superhero community? It's pretty damn awesome. Those of the kind of dreams no normal teenager could even _imagine_ having.”

“Yeah,” nodded Steph, chewing carefully “I mean, I guess, I just wonder if I could have ever had a normal life. Or if I was always gonna end up doing something stupid. Like, was I always going to end up falling for the wrong guy…”

So there is was.

“You think Tim's the wrong guy?”

“Tim? What? Ha, no, that's totally in the past!” she laughed, not meeting Babs’ eyes. She raised an eyebrow at her, and Steph sunk a little lower in her chair, “Yeah, okay. So, we sort of agreed to give it a, what? Fourth go? In Austria, and I'm just wondering if that was the right decision. I mean, we talked it all through and stuff, but am I missing out by not trying to date other people? Even if I can't really imagine myself dating anyone else?”

“Ah, the Robin Paradox.” Babs nodded seriously. “Once you've had your heart broken by the Boy Wonder, can you ever go back to normal guys?”

“Yeah…”

“I am the worst person to ask advice on this, you realise? Dick and I should not be anyone's 'relationship goals’ or whatever people say these days.”

“Yeah, you do always seem to be oscillating between friends, lovers and enemies. Which I guess is the same as Tim and me.”

“Yeah…” sighed Babs “but the problem is, Dick and I both know that we're always going to end up being pulled back together. Maybe not now, but eventually, and the whole cycle will begin again. But, it's not a bad cycle to be a part of.” She grinned “The highs are well worth the lows, even if it never feels like it at the time.”

“You're just saying that because he has a sexy butt.”

“I am insulted if you think that I would only ever date a guy because he had a sexy butt.” It was Stephanie's turn to look sceptical. “Okay, it's a significant factor, but not the ultimate one. Mostly, it's just how we feel about each other. Nobody else has been through the stuff we've been through _together_. It's that full Gotham Teen experience, not even Dinah can truly relate to it. He's always going to be my best friend, even when we're fighting, if he calls for me, nothing in the world could stop me from getting there, and I know I can trust him to do the same. Is that how you feel about Tim?”

She could see how hard Steph was thinking about it.

“He is always there when I need him. He does keep his promises. I can't say that for a lot of people in my life… not you though!” She added hastily. “You're the best mentor a batgirl could ever ask for! I'd be dead without you, and for real this time.”

“And don't I know it.” Smirked Barbara “I made the repairs to your suit, by the way.”

“Love you O!” She cooed, clutching her take out pot to her chest.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” she waved it off, “So… you good now? You gonna risk it all again?”

Steph leant back in her chair and swivelled it from side to side. “I don't knooooow. Maybe? Is not knowing part of the whole process?”

Babs shrugged “Only you can answer that, but for what it's worth? You've both changed a lot in five years, more than either of you even realise. I think it's time to forgive your past self, Steph, and figure out what this new thing between you two could become. And hey, don't forget, he might be Boy Wonder, but you're the one and only Girl Wonder, and you're pretty hard to forget about too.”

“Yeah, I am kind of awesome like that,” nodded Steph thoughtfully, “Being Batgirl's still way more awesome though. You can tell Batman to fuck off and he can't ground you.”

“One hundred percent agreed. I don't know how you managed to put up with him for so long!” laughed Babs, getting back to her marking, this time perhaps a little happier. See, this paper wasn't nearly so bad as she first thought, a C- at worst.

“I know right? If I'd had to listen to him for any longer, I think I would have _died_.”

Babs looked over at her blankly “You know, I think I'm going to have to limit your interactions with Jason from now on.”

They continued to eat in silence until suddenly Steph piped up “Hey, do you think Damian's ever gonna be someone's ‘Robin Paradox’?”

“Oh God I hope not. No one deserves _that_ particular punishment.”

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoyed this? Let me know via Kudos/Comments or on Tumblr where I'm Mrsmarymorstan


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